My life's goal is to see that the entire world becomes Krishna conscious. Critics may label this as foolish naïveté, that I should not waste my time dreaming about realizing such an impossible goal. But what can I do? The order has been given to us by our spiritual master, "Become guru and make the entire world Krishna conscious." My duty as a disciple...
Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara are the hosts at ISKCON'S Adelaide temple where according to reports a fresh breeze is blowing. A new Management is in place, with Adi Purusa Krsna Dasa, heading up the team as Temple President.
All the devotees are very happy worshipping Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara, and they're all diving into a bright and sunny future of seva!
SB 03.07.10_Admit You're A Servant Of Krsna By Hearing Submissively_2002-08-21 Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 3.7.10 Admit You're A Servant Of Krsna By Hearing Submissively 2002-08-21 Radhadesh
As of today, I am 28 weeks pregnant. Some people would divide that by four and say I am seven months. Sounds good to me. I will be full term in 9 weeks but could have baby Bindu as far off as 14 weeks from today.
Last appointment I had to do the 1 hour glucose test and failed, much to my surprise. I thought gestational diabetes was for women having super-sized babies. This kid is teeny, measuring the same size that my daughter measured when she was in-utero. But, in my research, I did find that even women with small babies can be at risk. I had two risk factors working against me–a familial history of diabetes on both my bio mother and bio father's sides and the very unattractive labeling of *Advanced Maternal Age* on my chart. Not cute.
Friday I took the 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test, an evil, evil torture for pregnant women. I had to fast 8-10 hours before the test but, due to the time that I finished dinner the night before and the fact that the birth center had forgotten to fax over the order to the lab, I ended up fasting 16 hours before drinking the glucose drink. After a total of 5 blood draws and a huge sugar crash, I drove myself home in a comatose state before completely passing out for the remainder of the day. Would have been nice if someone tipped me off that I should not drive myself.
Today I got the good news! No gestational diabetes. However, this body is not perfect. My first blood draw exceeded the maximum count and the next two were borderline passing. Thankfully my final number put me under and in the clear. If I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes the home birth would have been off, the birth center would not be an option and I would be checking into the hospital when I went into labor. Disaster averted.
But the midwife did say I need to watch my sugar. Basically, we've discovered that I am predisposed to diabetes, so better to modify my diet now and avoid any diagnosis in the future. I am glad I have been tipped off but a little bummed out nonetheless. I thought 21 years as a vegetarian would save me from many health crises–especially those that are largely behavioral. Although I like to think I eat a healthy diet since fast food and processed packaged food are not on my menu, I have to admit that I do consume a lot of sugar. A lot of sugar.
Gone are the days of my carefree youth. I welcome in an era of whole grains and scant sweetener. The timing is perfect since the Gaudiya Vaishnava month of Kartik is right around the corner. This month is the mother of devotion and spiritual practitioners performing austerities throughout Kartik are rewarded with the opportunity to gain deeper appreciation and knowledge on their devotional path. Sounds great, right? Only I wasn't really planning on performing any austerities. You know, other than being a host for this sweet little parasite that is sucking the life out of me taking over my body growing inside me.
For me, eating and cooking are huge pleasures. And, once I really think about it, I put sugar in practically everything! But my eating and my cooking–my main ways of expressing love and spirituality–are in for an overhaul. Cooking will still go on, but my eating must become more ascetic. And my family will be along for the ride.
Let's tour some recent foods cooked up in the Sabjimata kitchen:
Soccer team's snack--pizza roll. A no-no for my new diet, unless I switch to whole wheat flour.
Another soccer practice snack--Vegan blueberry muffins based on the PPK Vegan Cupcakes vanilla cake recipe. Another no-no.
Vegan chocolate cupcakes topped with non-vegan frosting. A no-no that I will most likely cave to when the occasion arises.
While getting some spices down from a cabinet in my laundry room, I ended up spilling a package of methi (fennugreek) seed. All over the unfinished concrete floor. Embracing the ethos of waste not want not, I swept up the seeds, wrapped them in a moist cloth and sprouted them for planting. Methi sak, as fenugreek greens are known in Hindi, will be a good bitter boost to my diet.
The fenugreek is coming up!
Although I did buy a variety of gorgeous pumpkin seeds, we decided to hold off planting them until we built some raised beds. But a couple of weeks ago I made a pumpkin pie and scattered the pumpkin seeds around the yard. Yesterday I noticed a few strong shoots sprouting up in our garden and feel it is a safe gamble to bet these pretty green plants are pumpkins to be.
Vegan bean bowl with brown rice. This has been the kind of stuff I have been eating throughout most of the pregnancy and seems like it will be what I will be eating throughout most of my life. I added a little tofu to this to please the husband. Additionally, I try to have iron rich greens with some acidic veggies--tomato and bell pepper--to aid in the absorption.
Another bean bowl minus the beans. That's what happens when you forget to pre-soak. This beanless bean bowl has spinach, tofu and plantain, which I suspect is not low glycemic.
These dishes are not at all austere for me. I tend to repeat the same spicing from bean bowl to bean bowl–salt, pepper, curry leaf, dry roasted cumin, turmeric and ginger. I'm definitely a creature of habit. I will be staying away from my morning cup of fair trade cocoa and all the baked goodies I make my family. Some things, like the pumpkin pie I plan on baking tomorrow, will be modified to include a whole wheat spelt crust and a super huge reduction in sucanat.
If you have any tips, suggestions or encouragement for a happy vegetarian low glycemic diet, please feel free to share!
Due to popular demand there will now be a POWER-HOUR YOGA session taught by Gopesvari on Tuesday evenings at 6pm–7pm starting next week on the 26 October! $10 entry, online bookings do not apply, and please note it does not include dinner.
There's always an excuse, isn't there? Excuses abound for why we don't strive to restore a suffering relationship, expand into new markets, present new solutions to old problems, or go outside and get fit. Complacency is the course of least resistance.
Getting out of my comfortable routine may require change, and after all, isn't change painful?
The late business philosopher, Jim Rohn, said, "We must all suffer from one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret."
Change might often be painful, but there is usually a much more profound pain of regret associated with inaction.
SB 9.12.9: All these kings in the dynasty of Ikshvaku have passed away. Now please listen as I describe the kings who will be born in the future. From Brihadbala will come Brihadrana.
SB 9.12.10: The son of Brihadrana will be Urukriya, who will have a son named Vatsavriddha. Vatsavriddha will have a son named Prativyoma, and Prativyoma will have a son named Bhanu, from whom Divaka, a great commander of soldiers, will take birth.
SB 9.12.11: Thereafter, from Divaka will come a son named Sahadeva, and from Sahadeva a great hero named Brihadasva. From Brihadasva will come Bhanuman, and from Bhanuman will come Pratikasva. The son of Pratikasva will be Supratika.
SB 9.12.12: Thereafter, from Supratika will come Marudeva; from Marudeva, Sunakshatra; from Sunakshatra, Pushkara; and from Pushkara, Antariksha. The son of Antariksha will be Sutapa, and his son will be Amitrajit.
SB 9.12.13: From Amitrajit will come a son named Brihadraja, from Brihadraja will come Barhi, and from Barhi will come Kritanjaya. The son of Kritanjaya will be known as Rananjaya, and from him will come a son named Sanjaya.
SB 9.12.15: From Kshudraka will come Ranaka, from Ranaka will come Suratha, and from Suratha will come Sumitra, ending the dynasty. This is a description of the dynasty of Brihadbala.
SB 9.12.16: The last king in the dynasty of Ikshvaku will be Sumitra; after Sumitra there will be no more sons in the dynasty of the sun-god, and thus the dynasty will end.
This chapter describes the dynasty in which the great and learned scholar Janaka was born. This is the dynasty of MaharajaNimi, who is said to have been the son of Ikshvaku.
When MaharajaNimi began performing great sacrifices, he appointed Vasishtha to be chief priest, but Vasishtha refused, for he had already agreed to be priest in performing a yajna for Lord Indra. Vasishtha therefore requested MaharajaNimi to wait until Lord Indra's sacrifice was finished, but MaharajaNimi did not wait. He thought, "Life is very short, so there is no need to wait." He therefore appointed another priest to perform the yajna. Vasishtha was very angry at King Nimi and cursed him, saying, "May your body fall down." Cursed in that way, MaharajaNimi also became very angry, and he retaliated by saying, "May your body also fall down." As a result of this cursing and countercursing, both of them died. After this incident, Vasishtha took birth again, begotten by Mitra and Varuna, who were agitated by Urvasi.
The priests who were engaged in the sacrifice for King Nimi preserved Nimi's body in fragrant chemicals. When the sacrifice was over, the priests prayed for Nimi's life to all the demigods who had come to the arena of yajna, but MaharajaNimi refused to take birth again in a material body because he considered the material body obnoxious. The great sages then churned Nimi's body, and as a result of this churning, Janaka was born.
The son of Janaka was Udavasu, and the son of Udavasu was Nandivardhana. The son of Nandivardhana was Suketu, and his descendants continued as follows: Devarata, Brihadratha, Mahavirya, Sudhriti, Dhrishtaketu, Haryasva, Maru, Pratipaka, Kritaratha, Devamidha, Visruta, Mahadhriti, Kritirata, Maharoma, Svarnaroma, Hrasvaroma and Siradhvaja. All these sons appeared in the dynasty one after another. From Siradhvaja, mother Sitadevi was born. Siradhvaja's son was Kusadhvaja, and the son of Kusadhvaja was Dharmadhvaja. The sons of Dharmadhvaja were Kritadhvaja and Mitadhvaja. The son of Kritadhvaja was Kesidhvaja, and the son of Mitadhvaja was Khandikya. Kesidhvaja was a self-realized soul, and his son was Bhanuman, whose descendants were as follows: Satadyumna, Suci, Sanadvaja, Urjaketu, Aja, Purujit, Arishtanemi, Srutayu, Suparsvaka, Citraratha, Kshemadhi, Samaratha, Satyaratha, Upaguru, Upagupta, Vasvananta, Yuyudha, Subhashana, Sruta, Jaya, Vijaya, Rita, Sunaka, Vitahavya, Dhriti, Bahulasva, Kriti and Mahavasi. All of these sons were great self-controlled personalities. This completes the list of the entire dynasty.
SB 9.13.2: "I shall return here after finishing the yajna for Indra. Kindly wait for me until then." MaharajaNimi remained silent, and Vasishtha began to perform the sacrifice for Lord Indra.
SB 9.13.3: MaharajaNimi, being a self-realized soul, considered that this life is flickering. Therefore, instead of waiting long for Vasishtha, he began performing the sacrifice with other priests.
PURPORT
Canakya Pandita says, sariramkshana-vidhvamsi kalpanta-sthayino gunah: "The duration of one's life in the material world may end at any moment, but if within this life one does something worthy, that qualification is depicted in history eternally." Here is a great personality, MaharajaNimi, who knew this fact. In the human form of life one should perform activities in such a way that at the end he goes back home, back to Godhead. This is self-realization.
In this morning's groaningly full cyber-mailbag were two letters both requiring the same answer.
MK from Heidelberg, Germany wrote asking whether I had a recipe for ekadasi (grain-free) pakora batter.
MD from USA also wrote asking for some grain-free feast ideas for a 100-person spiritual retreat. I sent this recipe (and some extra ones for M) to both enquirees. It's delicious, easy and addictive.
The photo below was of a special non-grain selection prepared by my students and I in Ljubljana, Slovenia a couple of years ago. The crispy pakoras are in the foreground of the plate.
Pakoras are popular spiced, batter-dipped, deep-fried, vegetables that make perfect snacks or hors d'oeuvres. Ghee is the preferred medium for frying pakoras, although you can use nut or vegetable oil.
The tradition of frying things in batter is popular throughout the culinary world. In Italy, there's the delicious Neapolitan fritters known as pasta cresciuta, comprising of things like sun-dried tomato halves, zucchini flowers, and sage leaves dipped in a yeasted batter and fried in olive oil. The Japanese dip all sorts of things, including zucchini, eggplant and carrot into a light thin batter and serve the tempura with dipping sauce.
In India, pakoras (pronounced pak-OR-as) are almost a national passion. Cooked on bustling street corners, in snack houses, and at home, the fritters are always served piping hot, usually with an accompanying sauce or chutney. The vegetables can be cut into rounds, sticks, fan shapes, or slices. The varieties are endless.
Try batter-frying various types of vegetables. Cauliflower pakoras are probably the most popular, but equally delicious are potato rings, zucchini chunks, spinach leaves, pumpkin slices, eggplant rings, baby tomatoes, sweet potatoes, red or green pepper slices, asparagus tips, and artichoke hearts. Cook pakoras slowly to ensure that the batter and the vegetables cook simultaneously. Makes about 2 dozen pakoras.
1 cup each of buckwheat and arrowroot flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2½ teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons pure asafoetida powder 1½ teaspoons turmeric 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1½ teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons nigella seeds 2½ cups cold water, or enough to make a smooth batter 1 large cauliflower cut into florets ghee or oil for deep-frying
Combine the flours, salt, powdered spices, and green chilies in a bowl. Mix well with a wire whisk.
Whisk in sufficient cold water to make a batter the consistency of medium-light cream. When you dip the vegetable in the batter, it should be completely coated but neither thick and heavy nor runny and thin. Have extra flour and water on hand to adjust the consistency as required. Let the batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat the ghee or oil to a depth of 6 – 7 cm in a wok or deep-frying vessel until the temperature reaches about 180°C/355°F.
Dip 5 or 6 pieces of cauliflower in the batter and, one at a time, carefully slip them into the hot oil. Fry until the pakoras are golden brown, turning to cook them evenly on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Continue cooking until all the pakoras are done. Serve immediately or keep warm, uncovered, in a preheated cool oven for up to ½ hour.
I sold a small book to Billy Graham in the Boston airport in the early 90's. He donated about twenty-five cents. We had a nice conversation. He showed me his driver's license, since I doubted it was really him. He seemed quite open-minded, especially considering that one might expect the most famous Christian evangelical preacher of all time to look down on other religions, especially those outside the American mainstream.
During the 8-12th of October, we held another yoga retreat in Pandavas Paradise.
Our mornings start with a sweet soulful aratik . Then we have a 30 minute japa session. Mostly we get newcomers who have never before had contact with japa chanting, so on the first day I explain the concept, the technique and we chant one round together.
After japa, the guests have their yoga class. For the second time we've been lucky to have as volunteers a dynamic mother-daughter duo from Rio de Janeiro, Alba and Marina. While Marina leads the class, Alba goes around correcting the students' postures. The guests really appreciate it.
Then it's breakfast time, followed by a walk through the hills to the waterfalls. Guests are always impressed by the thousands of acres of unspoilt savannah, which, with the begining of the rains, are especially beautiful these days.
It's amazing how nature has recovered from the wild fires we had, a mere three weeks ago. Everything was burnt and black. Now look how beautiful it is:
In my 12 years of Pandavas Paradise, I have never seen so many flowers there!
My wife, Carana Renu, delighted our guests with delicious prasadam. Indian style on the first day, then Italian and Mexican! The guests were struggling with their senses not to overeat every day!
She also taught a few recipes in a cooking class.
In the evenings I gave 90 minute presentations on our philosophy. The first two nights I spoke on the teachings of Dattatreya and on the last night I gave a new presentation I've recently prepared, called "Great Questions and Their Vedic Answers".
One does not need any material arrangement to cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness anywhere and everywhere, provided he can always think of Kṛṣṇa. The mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, can be chanted even within the abdomen of one's mother. One can chant while sleeping, while working, while imprisoned in the womb or while outside. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be checked in any circumstance. The conclusion of the child's prayer is: "Let me remain in this condition; although it is very miserable, it is better not to fall a victim to māyā again by going outside.
Sunday marked the festival of Vijay Dasami, a festival to celebrate Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. But the devotees at ISKCON Vrindavan had one more reason to celebrate-the 24th anniversary of inception the 24 hour Kirtan program
In order to understand what selfishness is, let us first of all examine what the self is, generally speaking people consider the body which is seen with the naked eye to be the self and selfishness in this regard is the tendency to please the body or the senses, i.e sense gratification
1967 October 18 : "Today I have been to the American Consular office & upon presentation of the invitation letters from the different centers I was at once granted visitors visa." Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
1968 October 18 : "Anyway, both of you may not leave us. Each and everyone of you is very important assistant for me. My last request to you both is that if you find such difficulty to live with your God-brothers, you can live with me." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 October 18 : "When I received the news I immediately submitted my prayer to Krishna. Krishna is so merciful. He has saved your life and your baby. Now feeling this obligation, you should be more enthusiastic to serve Krishna." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1973 October 18 : "Our Gaudiya Math people fought with one another after the demise of Guru Maharaja but my disciples have already begun fighting even in my presence. So I am greatly concerned about it." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 October 18 : "Please try to maintain the philosophy of unity in diversity. That will make our movement successful. One section of men have already gone out, therefore we must be very careful." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 October 18 : "You should rectify, but not reject. Members are coming to join us to be rectified, not to be rejected. So, try to rectify the incorrigible, and if not possible, then change. What can we do?" Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 October 18 : "Who is that rascal sannyasi who has recommended to chant Pancha Tattwa mantra on the japa beads? First, send me his name." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
The planetarium referred to by His Holiness Tamal Krsna Goswami, is now being constructed in Mayapura, India. If you google Temple of the Vedic Planetarium you will get an idea of the planned, outside appearance of the building
Because of the scientific community's departure from scriptural accounts, I have written this article to instill in the reader a healthy skepticism and reveal the speculative nature of modern cosmology, parallax, and astral spectroscopy
Payonidhi das: I previously posted 108 Names of Lord Rama and some nectar about Lord Rama, today is the day to pray to Lord Rama to kill any Ravana mentality in the heart, desire for wealth and illicit sexual enjoyment
'Devotees must chant (at least) sixteen rounds daily:
"One may have other duties to perform under the direction of the spiritual master, but he must first abide by the spiritual master's order to chant a certain number of rounds. In our Krishna consciousness movement, we have recommended that the neophyte chant at least sixteen rounds. This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krishna and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 22-113)
From the Caitanya-caritamrta we learn that Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself chanted a fixed number of rounds daily. Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to count on His fingers. While one hand was engaged in chanting the other hand kept the number of rounds. Haridasa Thakura chanted 300,000 names. Sixteen rounds is about 28,000 names. There is no need to imitate Haridasa Thakura or the other Gosvamis but chanting the holy names a fixed number of times is essential for every devotee. The Gosvamis used to follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Haridasa Thakura also follow this principle. Concerning the other Gosvamis, Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami—Srinivasa Acarya confirms sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih (Sad Gosvamyastaka, verse 6)
In a Caitanya-caritamrta purport Prabhupada says that although he asks his western students to chant at least sixteen rounds a day he sometimes finds that they fail to chant even those sixteen rounds and instead bring many austere and a worshiping method that diverts their attention in so many ways. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati used to say that unless one chants at least sixty-four rounds of japa (100,000 names) he is considered fallen (patita). According to his calculation practically everyone of us is fallen, but because we are trying to serve the Supreme Lord with all seriousness and without duplicity, we can expect the mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who is famous as patita-pavana, the deliverer of the fallen. Everyone begins his devotional life from the neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting the prescribed number of rounds of harinama, he is elevated step by step to the highest platform, utthama-adhikari. If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual life.
I rose at 1:30 this morning and began chanting without any head pain. I could not complete sixteen rounds by 3:30 but finished only twelve. I will finish the other four after breakfast. The twelve rounds I chanted were with clarity and attention. Haridasa shared with me an insight he had from his own chanting. He noticed I have been writing about the virtue of constancy on behalf of the chanter. He said he had perceived that the maha-mantra itself provides constancy, not only that it comes from the side of the chanter. The chanting is not a dead thing but reciprocates. It is always there and provides its own constancy to the faithful chanter.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati ordered his disciples to chant sixty-four rounds and said those who could not do it were patita or fallen. Our Prabhupada says according to this calculation we are all fallen. But if we chant his prescribed sixteen rounds then Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is patita-pavana, the savior of the fallen, will accept it. But the sixteen rounds must be done faithfully, and without offense. I struggle to come to this standard, a neophyte trying to clearly chant and hear. Krishna blesses my effort with the constancy of His own, always being there, always present personally in the Hare Krishna mantra which we utter under the liberal supervision of Srila Prabhupada: Sixteen good rounds.
Sharon Olds wrote to her father after his death, "Dear Dad, I saw your double today through the curtain to first class." I never see anyone who reminds me of Prabhupada except maybe his own disciples in saffron. Maybe an elderly sadhu in a Vrndavana lane, but that's just external. I don't expect to see him walking in the world.
Sharon Olds writes, "Isn't it something the way I can't get over you, this long, deep unearned desire… I guess I'm saying I hate you, too… " They say her book, The Father, "goes into areas of feeling and experience rarely entered in poetry." I don't want to ever say I hate you even if some lower being in me thinks that way. You are my light my way out of the cycle of birth and death. I've been reading about the hellish planets, how miserable it is to take birth to have to learn again, and how very rare it is to get out of this cycle. But you are my way. It's easy following the feet of the pure devotee.
I have no doubt you are a qualified spiritual master. I am very lucky. I do love you. I just want you to accept me as I am, but I can't take away your right. So we go together toward my death, me praying to always revere you and follow you to new revelations.
Rohininandan das: On behalf of ISKCON New Orleans, we would like to extend an invitation to all devotees and guests to join us in our annual Rath Yatra festival
Sometimes a devotee dies in an earthquake or a fire or a car accident, he or she dies prematurely. So what does Krishna mean when He says "Declare it boldly, Arjuna, My devotee will never perish"? He means the devotee won't forget Krishna at the time of death and therefore he will be saved. He'll go to Krishna or to birth in a family of Vaisnavas.
He'll continue his progress because even a little devotional service never suffers loss or diminution and it can save one from the greatest danger. The danger is forgetfulness. The pure devotee won't fall down.
It's sometimes hard to see the justice but we have faith the devotee is being personally handled by Krishna for his own good. Prabhupada says the sufferings of an orphan and a protected son is not the same.
He's not under karma. Krishna may be giving him some token punishment for a considerable sin. By strict law he would have his head cut off, but he's given just a pinprick. These are some explanations.
It's a cleansing, like the cleansing of gold to bring out the luster. Bhisma lay on a bed of arrows but was perfectly self controlled, and died at his own will.
Christ was crucified but accepted it as the will of God, the Father, and forgave his tormentors.
Prahlada and Haridasa felt no pain when they were tortured because the Lord personally intervened just to protect His devotees.
We should accept our lot graciously and praise the Lord and beg for faith and understanding.
The demons are the cause for social friction. The devotees are at peace. The devotee is not a pacifist. Sometimes he takes up arms and fights. But it's all for Krishna. Sometimes he is defeated, but he does not perish. He sets the right example, and he leaves a legacy.
These are just some scattered thoughts on a difficult subject. You have to be willing to die for Krishna, to live for His service.
Live while you can until He takes you. Do something that will live forever and do good in the world. Save your soul and those of others.
I turned at random to Canto 6, chapter 3, verse 18. "The order carriers of Lord Vishnu, who are worshiped even by the demigods, possess wonderful bodily features exactly like those of Vishnu and are very rarely seen. The vishnudutas protect the devotees of the Lord from the hands of enemies, from envious persons and even from my jurisdiction as well as from natural disturbances." Yamaraja has described the qualities of the vishnudutas to convince his servants not to be envious of them. He warned them that the vishnudutas are always ready to protect the devotees from material disturbances and dangerous conditions in the material world. In the purport Prabhupada writes that the members of the Krishna Consciousness Society are sometimes afraid of the danger of impending war. But in all kinds of danger they should be confident of their protection by the vishnudutas or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gita Krishna tells Arjuna to declare it boldly that His devotees will never perish. Sometimes it may not be possible to avoid natural danger, but the devotees' spiritual protection is assured. "The pure devotees may rest assured of the Lord's protection, and as long as they are in this material world, they should fully engage in devotional service by preaching the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Krishna, namely the Hare Krishna movement of Krishna consciousness.
Lord Caitanya's bodily transformations are described. Once He took the shape of a tortoise and drew His limbs within His body. Satyaraja Prabhu mentions this to a rabbi in his interview book Om Shalom. The rabbi was incredulous—a tortoise? Satyaraja also mentioned the miracle of the sun in Fatima (which the Catholics believe), and the rabbi was put off by that too. You have to be careful what you say in ecumenical exchanges. I wouldn't mention that Srila Prabhupada said man didn't go to the moon. But if they brought it up to me I wouldn't fudge. Lord Caitanya's transformations are so numerous that Krishnadasa Kaviraja says he is only mentioning a few and briefly. If Ananta Sesa with His thousands of heads tried to describe them all he would be unable. Lord Caitanya saw the sea and mistook it for the Yamuna River. He dove in and went under and over the waves and His body was swept some miles away from the Jagannatha temple to Konark, the temple of the sun god. None of His associates had seen Him jump in, and they feared He had disappeared. They searched for Him all night. He was caught in the net of a fisherman. When the fisherman touched His body he manifested symptoms of love of God. He thought he had touched a ghost. When Svarupa Damodara met the fisherman he could understand what had happened. The devotees chanted to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who was unconscious but eventually He returned to natural consciousness and natural bodily form and the devotees took Him home.
You did into your thought process and find some walnuts and mushrooms. I manage to write a poem every day, but they may not be first-class. I'd like them to be profound. Write of the inner life and God and prayer and who you are. The clock is ticking. I am growing older with every day, closer to the end, but I do not worry about it yet. Do I use my time well? Should I be more involved in Krishna consciousness? Pray to the Lord. I preach in writing.
Vidvan Gauranga Das: This course will introduce the student to Sanskrit grammar, vocabulary and usage through small steps as the teacher moves through the Gita, word by word, verse by verse
Örömmel értesítünk benneteket, hogy kísérleti jelleggel elindítottuk a 108.hu – a minőségi életmód magazinját. A magazint a Govinda Életmódközpont és Étterem keltette életre azzal a céllal, hogy segítséget nyújtson a vendégeknek abban, hogy hogyan tehetik életüket teljesebbé, lelkibbé, minőségibbé.
A különlegessége, hogy a környezetvédelem érdekében csak elektronikus formában publikáljuk. Pdf formátumban jelenik meg, amit a gépeden kényelmesen olvashatsz.
A magazint a www.108.hu oldalon feliratkozva kaphatod meg az email címedre.
Urmila mataji has recently published a unique Krishna Conscious reading scheme which we urgently need in Sri Mayapur International School. The total cost is 600 pounds sterling and we are appealing to devotees to help sponsor a set for our students. Sri Mayapur International School serves students from 3 to 18 years of age. Our cohort are 95% English as an additional language, with many children at early stages of learning English.
Hare Krsna dear devotees, I hope your week has been blessed and your chanting with attention. This is a beautiful prayer to Lord Nityananda:
I perpetually worship Sri Nityananda, the root of the tree of krishna-bhakti, who wandering around in Bengal approached the door of every home. With upraised arms he exclaimed: " O Brothers! Please constantly chant the holy names of Hari. If you do so, I will take the responsibility to deliver you from the ocean of material existence.
Sri Nityanandastakam 5 by Srila Vrindavana dasa Thakura
I wish all of us can be blessed by the mercy of Lord Nityananda so we can chant the holy names with love and affection avoiding all offenses.
A quintessential Italian town of 2,700 people in Italy's poor mountainous center, with its well-maintained church and ruined castle, Tocco is in most ways stuck in yesteryear. Old men talking politics fill gritty bars, and old women wander through the market. The olive harvest is the most important event on the calendar.
Yet, from an energy perspective, Tocco is very much tomorrow. In addition to the town's wind turbines, solar panels generate electricity at its ancient cemetery and sports complex, as well as at a growing number of private residences.
"Normally when you think about energy you think about big plants, but here what's interesting is that local municipalities have been very active," said Edoardo Zanchini, in charge of Legambiente's energy division. "That this can happen in a place like Italy is really impressive."
Italy is an unlikely backdrop for a renewable revolution. It has been repeatedly criticized by the European Union for failing to follow the bloc's environmental directives. It is not on track to meet either its European Union-mandated emissions-reduction target or its commitment to get 17 percent of its total power from renewable sources by 2020, experts say.
Currently, only 7 percent of Italy's power comes from renewable sources.
But the growth of small renewable projects in towns like Tocco — not only in Italy, but also in other countries — highlights the way that shifting energy economics are often more important than national planning in promoting alternative energy.
Tocco was motivated to become an early adapter because Italy already had among the highest electricity rates in Europe, and nearly three times the average in the United States, and it could not cope with the wild fluctuations in fossil fuel prices and supply that prevailed during the past decade.
At the same time, the costs of renewable energy have been falling rapidly. And as in much of Europe, the lure of alternative power here was sweetened by feed-in tariffs — government guarantees to buy renewable electricity at an attractive set price from any company, city or household that produces it.
In the United States, where electricity is cheap and government policy has favored setting minimum standards for the percentage of energy produced from renewable sources rather than direct economic incentives like Europe's feed-in tariffs, stimulating alternative energy has been only mildly successful. But in countries where energy from fossil fuels is naturally expensive — or rendered so because of a carbon tax — and there is money to be made, renewable energy quickly starts to flow, even in unlikely places like Tocco.
With its four wind turbines (two completed in 2007 and two last year), Tocco is now essentially energy independent from a financial standpoint, generating 30 percent more electricity than it uses. Production of green electricity earned the town 170,000 euros, or more than $200,000, last year. The town is renovating the school for earthquake protection and has tripled the budget for street cleaners.
Kieran McNamara, Italy desk officer for the International Energy Agency, said that although small renewable energy projects were not enough to sustain an entire industrial economy like Italy's, they were important.
"These small projects have their own intrinsic value and make a very, very positive contribution in countries where electricity prices are high," Mr. McNamara said.
A new sankirtan initative has started in the Benelux, in a devotee friendly way. With no pressure and based on fun, the monthly festival of Sankirtan Saturday was created. It started on the weekend of Oct. 8th and9th. Some factors were: language barriers (the books are in Dutch, French, and English) and devotees feeling scared to go. Ninety percent of them never have done sankirtana.
Posters flooded the castle walls of Radhadesh: Sankirtana Saturday.
On Friday morning, Partha-sarathi gave the Bhagavatam class, juicy and full of sankirtana sanitations for the soul. He brought out the sankirtana strength again, by holding a Friday evening sankirtana seminar.
We all caught some good rest, to be ready for the next day's operation. We met outside the castle. The troops arrived, one at a time. A couple of the youth came: Manoj and Lalita. Srila Prabhupada's mission is gradually changing hands. We had seventeen devotees, and a boot (trunk) full of books.
We crossed the border into Holland and found a mall in the middle of Maastricht, where we parked our two vans underground. We split into teams.
Partha and I were already teamed, and we also had our books ready, so we almost ran off the scene. The other devotees caught up, and we all packed into the elevator, a bit worried that we had overloaded it. It was a beautiful sunny day, and church bells were ringing.
Partha and I wandered around and stopped stray young people. Partha mostly capitalized on the stress of the material world. It's normally difficult for people to admit they are suffering, but it is a powerful thing.
We constantly swept through the area, checking on the other distributors. We made sure that they were focused and having fun. Everyone was having a great time, and many books were going out.
Partha stopped a cancer patient; he was in his early twenties and seemed to be a nice guy. He wasn't inclined to take the book, but Partha insisted: "Just take it as a gift." Partha kind offer touched the young man's heart.He now was so enthusiastic to have the book that he gave both of us a hug. His fate might have been sealed, but Krsna was not going to let his life go in vain.
The seventeen devotees distributed 264 books, and felt fired up to do more at the next sankirtana festival. The book distributors and the public had a great experience feeling the flow of Srila Prabhupada's mercy.
Your servant,Madhavendra Puri Dasa.
[This post was originally written in full as "Sankirtana Saturday" - http://maddmonk.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/sankirtana-saturday The beginning was added by the BDN editors.]
Read this post: [http://maddmonk.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/816]
What follows makes for very unpleasant reading. If you would rather not be reminded of the dangers involved in meat-eating or even just meat-handling, then gaze at the plate of innocent vegetarian delights below, and then look away.
If you're willing, read on...
(By Antony Brennan for ISKCON News)
"Amongst the things the animal flesh industry would prefer you didn't know about are viral infections contracted by workers in the meat industry. Fresh meat is so laden with viruses that there is a well-defined medical condition colloquially known as "butcher's warts," affecting the hands of those who handle the flesh of dead cows, poultry and fish. Not only do the people who handle the flesh of dead creatures contract a virus that causes warts, but so also do those who work with them, and their families.
According to a paper called Treatment of Warts by Steven and Joshua Pray, although warts can affect anyone, people who work with raw meat are at "particularly high risk of butcher's warts."The International Journal of Epidemiology published an article called: The Aetiology and Risk Factors for Warts among Poultry Processing Workers. Researchers conducted an investigation at a poultry processing plant in New Zealand to study the prevalence of warts among workers and the risk of developing warts. The study found that "Almost half had developed wart-like lesions on their arms or hands after they began working at the plant." People working in areas where they often handled dead, raw, unfrozen chickens were three times more likely to have developed warts.
Another report published by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology reveals that even the wives of butchers seem to be "at higher risk of cervical cancer," which is associated with exposure to the wart virus. The report also says "concerns about viral infection have led to recommendations that pregnant women and people with AIDS not work on the slaughter lines."
The report "Mortality in the Baltimore Union Poultry Cohort: Non-Malignant Diseases," paints a darker picture by concluding that "Poultry workers may have excess occurrence of disease affecting several organs and systems, probably originating from widespread infection with a variety of micro-organisms." The report also concludes, "Poultry workers as a group had an overall excess of deaths" from a variety of diseases.
An update to the union poultry cohort report says, "Compared to the US general population, an excess of cancers of the buccal and nasal cavities and pharynx, esophagus, recto-sigmoid/rectum/anus, liver and intrabiliary system, myelofibrosis, lymphoid leukemia and multiple myeloma was observed in particular subgroups or in the entire poultry cohort."
There is already a great deal of clinical evidence that eating the flesh of dead creatures causes disease amongst humans. Now we know that even touching the flesh of dead creatures may not only cause warts, but increased mortality. The weight of evidence for vegetarianism continues to grow.
In his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4, chapter 25, verse 8, Srila Prabhupada tells us "When animals are killed in a slaughterhouse, six people connected with the killing are responsible for the murder. The person who gives permission for the killing, the person who kills, the person who helps, the person who purchases the meat, the person who cooks the flesh and the person who eats it, all become entangled in the killing."
Scientists and researchers are continuing to provide the evidence to support the karmic consequences of the desire to kill and eat other creatures."
By Yudhistir Govinda Das 
By Chirag Dangarwala 
By Bibhatsu das 
By Bibhatsu das 
